I hate it when friends fight. A day or two ago, I posted on Facebook something about Obamacare and the insurance companies response to it. People are still fighting about it. I go online and I play a game and the chat section of it has people arguing about Obamacare. Really? Aliens, bad guys, superheroes, and … American politics????!!!! I don’t really want to be an agent provocateur. Okay, a little bit — I like to get people to think, not be enraged.
A few posts ago, my friend Sean and I talked about friendly discussion vs. civil discourse. My friend Cathi and got to talking about vitriol and the present political climate and my desire to build rather than tear down. I really like my friend Bob. and I want to spend positive conversation time with him.
Given that, I want to build a consensus, rather than debate issues for awhile. So here are the rules for this conversation:
1) Everything must be stated in positive terms. No “it doesn’t…” or “it shouldn’t”.
2) No crosstalk. No references to other people’s comments.
3) At the end of it all, I’ll wrap it all up by saying, “this is what we all agree on”.
I hope you will write in. If, for some reason, you can’t post here, post on Facebook or email me and I’ll post it to the comments and give you credit for it.
So, here’s my thought on What Government Does or is supposed to do.
1) It builds bridges and roads and things like that.
2) It collects taxes in order to do that.
3) It “provides for the common defense” — but that’s more than just protecting us from our outside enemies. It creates a society where people don’t have to worry about if they’ll die, but allows them to think about how they will live. It provides a sense of safety — and therefore, freedom — for all of its citizens.
4) Regarding libraries, the Post Office, and other such government things, it does what the majority of people feel they need or would like it do, and can afford to do.
5) It listens to its citizens and puts those thoughts into action.
That’s what I think it should do. If I think of anything else, I’ll put it out…
Peace,
John
Because It Matters 